


i'll be the only dream you seek

by killproof



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sharing Clothes, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, mlm author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 22:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15180557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killproof/pseuds/killproof
Summary: “Hey─the podhealedmy leg, I can walk fine!” He protests, but Lance is already striding across the med bay and through the doorway, letting it hiss closed behind him.“Nah babe, this is totally necessary,” he says with a smile in his voice, making his way down the hall toward Keith’s room. “Just let me cradle you in my arms.” He sticks out his tongue playfully, and Keith groans, burying his face in his hands.





	i'll be the only dream you seek

**Author's Note:**

> title from "this side of paradise" by coyote theory

Keith is only half-aware of what’s happening when the healing pod opens, although the quiet  _ hiss _ of the barrier retracting clues him in enough for him to grasp at awareness. He's still a little wobbly as he stumbles out of the pod, the residual chill of its subzero temperatures only slightly fading from his limbs when he’s hit with a wave of warm air from the med bay. He trips a bit, eyes adjusting to the bright blue light, and feels a steady grip fall onto his shoulders.

“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” a familiar voice says, and when his vision focuses he sees Lance beaming at him. He gives a tired smile in return, warmth melting over him at the sight of his boyfriend. 

“How long have you been working on that line?” He retorts, smile pulling wider when Lance pouts. 

“An hour. Dammit.” His arms wind around Keith's shoulders, drawing him closer. “Does that mean I don't get a kiss?” 

“Isn't Sleeping Beauty the one who  _ gets _ kissed?” Keith muses, leaning further into Lance’s arms. 

“Semantics,” he dismisses, and then he's tilting his head down, soft lips melding gently with Keith’s. Keith hums happily into the kiss, the cold from the cryopod fading away as Lance pulls him closer. His hands smooth up Keith’s sides and towards his head, fingers tangling in his hair. Lance breaks the kiss and leans back, brushing Keith’s bangs out of his face. 

“What?” Keith asks, near-breathless as Lance’s gaze traces his features. 

“Nothing,” Lance replies with a smile. “What, I can't admire my boyfriend?” He asks, the corner of his lips twitching up into a smirk. Keith feels his face go hot and ducks his head against Lance’s chest, groaning at the sappy line. Lance just laughs, his hands moving to cup Keith’s cheeks, tilting his head up to pepper kisses over his face until Keith dissolves into giggles, uselessly attempting to bat him away. 

“Oh my god, you loser, quit it!” Keith laughs. Lance presses one more kiss to his lips, pulling away with an overemphasized  _ mwah.  _

“Hey, you were in the pod for two whole days. I missed you,” he says, smirk relaxing into a soft smile. 

“All I did was break my leg,” Keith huffs out stubbornly. “I barely even needed a pod.” Lance rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, sure. You could get  _ stabbed _ and claim you didn't need a pod,” he scoffs. Keith opens his mouth again to argue, but he’s interrupted by a yawn, and a concerned look surfaces on Lance’s face. 

“You tired?” He asks, head tilted slightly. “I always feel wiped after cryo.” 

“A little,” Keith admits, rubbing at his eyes. Lance loosens his arms from around Keith’s waist, shuffling back reluctantly. 

“How ‘bout we take a bath to get rid of the med bay smell and then you can rest, yeah?” He offers. 

“Mmh,” Keith mumbles in assent, letting his eyelids slip shut and tucking his chin over Lance’s shoulder. “Want my lion pajamas back. I know you stole ‘em.” 

“What! That is─that is a  _ baseless  _ accusation, and frankly I am offended that you would even suggest that I would do that,” Lance sputters. Keith pulls back and cracks an eye open, boring into him with a tired, unspoken  _ ‘really?' _

“Okay, fine,” Lance admits. “But in my defense, color-coding is  _ very _ important to the security of the Coalition.” 

Keith barely has time to laugh at the claim before Lance is scooping him up, one arm under his knees and the other curled behind his back, lifting him without a trace of strain. 

“Hey─the pod  _ healed  _ my leg, I can walk fine!” He protests, but Lance is already striding across the med bay and through the doorway, letting it hiss closed behind him.

“Nah babe, this is totally necessary,” he says with a smile in his voice, making his way down the hall toward Keith’s room. “Just let me cradle you in my arms.” He sticks out his tongue playfully, and Keith groans, burying his face in his hands.

“I'm never going to live that down. You're going to make a joke about bonding moments on my deathbed,” he complains, letting himself be adjusted in Lance’s grip as he moves a hand to type in the room code. The door slides open, and Lance finally sets Keith down, ducking into the bathroom. 

Keith settles onto the bed, sighing. He hears the sound of running water start up from the other room, and Lance walks back out, coming over to the bed and bending down to kiss Keith again. 

“I'm gonna go grab some food and your lion pajamas from my room, alright?” He says, and Keith smiles, grabbing his chin and tilting his head down to steal another kiss.

“Alright,” he agrees. “Thanks.” 

“No problem,” Lance says, stepping out the door with a wink, and then the door is closing behind him and Keith is left with a soft bed and the sound of the bath running. 

He guesses he drifts off somewhere in between then and when Lance comes back, because when he opens his eyes, it's to silence from the bathroom and Lance sitting on the bed next to him, red pajamas draped over the pillow. 

“Hey,” Lance says, holding out a plate of what Keith recognizes as Hunk’s latest attempt at grilled cheese. “Hungry?” Keith nods, grabbing the sandwich off the plate and taking a bite. The warm cheese fills his mouth, and though Keith knows it's definitely nothing he’s ever had on Earth, he's always surprised at how closely Hunk had managed to replicate the taste. He finishes it off quickly, hungrier than he anticipated, and when he’s done Lance is already getting up and leading him to the bathroom. 

“It was kind of hot earlier, but it should have cooled down a bit since you napped,” Lance says, slipping past him and kneeling in front of the bathtub, testing the water. “And I put in some of that muscle relaxer we got at the swap moon to help with your leg─”

“Lance,” Keith interrupts, redirecting Lance’s distracted gaze back up towards him. “You don't have to do all this for me, I'm  _ fine.”  _ It comes out harsher than he intended, and it stabs guiltily at his chest when Lance frowns in response. 

Lance stands back up, stepping closer to Keith and carefully taking his hands, eyes turned down. 

“Just let me take care of you, okay?” He says quietly. “I was worried. I just…want to be sure you're okay.” His tone is soft and painfully sincere, and all Keith’s resistance falls away. 

“Okay,” he says after a moment, and Lance’s expression instantly brightens. 

“Yeah?” He asks hopefully, weaving his fingers through Keith’s. Keith snorts.

“Yeah, you big sap.” He teases. “Mind helping me get out of this?” He asks, gesturing to the cryosuit that's beginning to get uncomfortable in the steam-filled bathroom. 

“I never turn down a chance to get my boyfriend out of his clothes,” Lance replies, grinning, which Keith admittedly should have seen coming. Lance expertly dodges the playful punch Keith aims at him, ducking behind him and tugging down the zipper of the suit so it pools around his waist. Keith pushes it down the rest of the way, kicking it off his ankles and stepping into the warm bath. 

As he settles into the water, he looks up to see Lance already peeling off his shirt, white fabric giving way to freckled brown skin scattered with pale scars, mementos of their time on the forefront of the war. 

“You joining me?” He asks as Lance tugs his head through his shirt collar.

“Yeah, if that's okay with you.” Lance says, pausing and looking down at Keith for confirmation. Keith nods, and he beams, tugging his boxers down his thighs and stepping into the bath behind him. 

Keith scoots forward, letting him get situated, then settles back against his boyfriend’s broad chest, humming contentedly. Lance wraps his arms around his waist, tugging him closer and tucking his chin over Keith’s shoulder. 

“Don't get hard,” Keith says, shattering the silence, the corner of his lips quirking up into an amused smile. Lance makes an indignant noise behind him. 

“Okay, we’re breaking up. Goodbye, it's been real.” He says, and Keith might actually believe he's offended if it weren't for how his arms were still circled securely around his waist. 

“Nah,” Keith says, leaning his head back against Lance’s shoulder and grinning up at him. “You like me too much.” 

“Fuck, you got me,” Lance gasps. He tilts his head down to kiss Keith, smoothing his hands over his chest, one palm flat over his heartbeat and thumbs absently skirting the faded lines of his top surgery scars, and Keith melts into the motion. He's surrounded by the warmth of the water and of Lance’s arms around him, always running hot despite originally being the _ Blue _ Paladin, and it pulls the tension out of his frame like yarn unraveling. 

Keith shifts, breaking the kiss to grab a bottle of shampoo from the counter by the bathtub. 

“I'm using your shampoo,” he tells Lance, despite the fact that he's clearly reaching for it. Lance gasps.

“You thief!” He accuses, not making a move to stop him. When Keith brings the bottle back towards them, Lance easily plucks it out of his slippery fingers, popping the cap open. Keith lets out an offended  _ ‘hey’,  _ annoyance quickly fading as Lance pours the shampoo into his palms and begins to work it into Keith’s hair. He melts back against Lance’s chest, eyes slipping shut as his long fingers knit into Keith’s hair, nails gently scraping against his scalp.

“I could have done this myself,” he says, the sleepy mumble hardly convincing. Lance snorts.

“Of course you could, baby.” He agrees teasingly, swiping some of Keith’s hair behind his ear with soapy fingers and pressing a wet kiss to his cheek. Keith leans into the touch as Lance rinses his hair, eyelids slowly slipping shut. 

“Feels nice,” he murmurs as Lance combs his fingers through his hair. He feels his smile against the back of his head, and Lance slicks back his bangs, nails scratching carefully though his hair. 

“Aww, who knew the big bad Blade was just a big ol’ softie.” He coos, poking Keith’s cheek. 

“I’ll kill you myself,” Keith says, not moving from his position on Lance's chest. 

“Softie,” Lance reaffirms, reaching for the conditioner and lathering it into Keith’s hair. He dozes off slightly, starting back awake as Lance finishes washing it out of his hair and nudges him. “Good to go? I seem to remember someone requesting his lion pajamas.” 

“I seem to remember someone  _ stealing _ my lion pajamas,” Keith retorts, bracing his arms on the sides of the tub and lifting himself out. Lance follows, muttering something about the importance of color-coding, and Keith grabs a towel on his way out the door. He scrubs his wet hair with it, wandering over to the bed and tossing the towel into the laundry chute, picking up the pajamas Lance left lying on his pillow and slipping them on. He turns around to see Lance tugging the blue lion pajamas over his long legs, and lets out an affronted noise.

“You had  _ both _ of them? Color-coding, my ass.” He snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. Lance rolls his eyes.

“I had to pay respects to my lady Blue,” he says defensively. “Anyway, I knew you would say that, so I got you a consolation prize.” He reaches into the closet to produce his hoodie. Keith examines it, eyes narrowed.

“You think I can be swayed with jackets?” He asks, looking up at Lance, who smiles smugly. 

“When they belong to your boyfriend? Definitely,” he counters, tossing the hoodie to Keith. He pulls it on, all pretenses of reluctance fading as he’s wrapped up in Lance’s scent and warmth.

“This isn't working,” he claims, fingers curling over the ends of Lance’s too-long sleeves. Lance’s smile widens.

“Mhmm.” He hums, watching smugly as Keith tugs the jacket collar closer to his face, burrowing his nose into the hood and taking a deep breath. “Good to go for bed, space cadet?” He asks. Keith nods, yawning, and takes the hand Lance offers him, letting himself be led over to their bed. 

“This is five feet at most, Lance. I don't need a guide,” he says, smiling at the pout on his boyfriend’s face as he plops down on the mattress. He tugs Keith down with him, the giggle he lets out as he trips over his own feet swiftly cut short when Keith lands heavily on top of him. 

Lance wraps his arms around Keith’s waist, rolling him off onto the unoccupied part of the mattress. He lets out a mock-frustrated huff as Keith laughs the whole time, which doesn't manage to be very convincing given that Keith can clearly see the softness in Lance’s eyes. 

“What's that look for?” He asks, cheeks sore and flushed from laughter, looking up at Lance from where he’s sprawled out on the bed. Lance shakes his head, laughing quietly and shifting his elbow where it props him up next to Keith. 

“God, you have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?” He says softly, reaching forward to tuck a lock of Keith’s hair behind his ear. 

The breath catches in his chest, and he feels the warmth of Lance’s fingertips on his skin like a forest fire. He groans, burying his face in the hood of Lance’s jacket as he feels the heat rush to his cheeks. 

“Why do you have to be so  _ cute,”  _ he grumbles into the soft white fabric. He can hear Lance laughing above him, and a familiarly calloused thumb skims over his cheek where it's left exposed by Lance’s hood. 

“Only the best for you, sweetheart.” Lance chuckles. Keith pushes part of the hood away from his face, glaring up at his boyfriend. Lance’s bright hazel eyes gleam in shadow of the bunk, crinkling at the comers. The soft blue fluorescents illuminate the freckles on his cheeks, dotted across his nose, and though it's a sight Keith has seen many times before it still makes him melt and draws up a gentle, bubbly feeling in his chest. 

Lance is beautiful, and Keith is so,  _ so  _ lucky. He doesn't have the words to describe how he loves him. 

“Get down here and cuddle me, dickhead,” he says instead. Lance grins, and the mattress bounces slightly under the give of his weight as he settles next to Keith. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Lance says, winking. Keith shoves a pillow into his face and he sputters, pushing it away and fixing Keith with a look of betrayal. Keith leans in and kisses the pout off his face, giggling against Lance’s lips when his arms wrap back around him and he tugs Keith closer. He hums into the kiss contentedly, his hands slipping under the hem of Lance’s shirt and settling against his waist.

Lance breaks away after a long moment, lips still a breath away from Keith’s, so close he can feel Lance’s eyelashes flutter against his skin when his eyes open. 

“I missed you,” Lance whispers.

“You said that already,” Keith replies, smiling softly.

“‘S ‘cause I mean it,” Lance huffs, tilting his head to press a kiss to the curve of Keith’s cheekbone. Keith laughs quietly, moving to circle his arms around Lance’s waist as Lance keeps going, pressing kisses further down Keith’s cheek and over the bridge of his nose.

Sometimes on nights like this, when Lance treats him soft and sweet and kisses him like he’s something sacred, Keith wonders if he should wonder how long things will stay this  _ good.  _ He’s never been able to get that worry out of his mind, before, but with Lance─he'd almost forgotten about it entirely 

He might've thought it was strange, but then he notices that happiness in Lance’s eyes aimed his way when he thinks Keith isn't looking, feels the care in how Lance holds him and feels his gentle touch like a shockwave, and Keith knows there's nothing strange about it. 

He's in love with Lance─has been far longer than he's ever been aware of himself. 

He’s going to savor the good. 


End file.
